Coin-controlled telephone-guard



(No Model.) 4 SheetS -Sheet 2.

S. M. DOWST 8; F. H. HOSMER.

OOIN CONTROLLED TELEPHONE GUARD. V No. 430,569. Patented June 17, 1890.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3. S. M. DOWST & F. H. HOSMER.

COIN GONTROLLED' TELEPHONE GUARD.

N0. 430 ,569. Patented June 17, 1 90.

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S. M. DOWST 85 F. H. HOSMER.

COIN CONTROLLED TELEPHONE GUARD.

No 430,569. Patented June 17, 1890.

Mags 4 gwvm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL M. DOVVST AND FRANK II. HOSMER, OF CHICACO, ASSIGNORS, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SAID SAMUEL M. DOIVST AND CHAS. O. DOIVST, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

COIN-CONTROLLED TELEPHONE-GUARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,569, dated June 17, 1890. Application filed July 27, 1389. Serial No. 318,866- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, SAMUEL M. DOWsT and FRANK II. IIOSMER, both citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin- Controlled Telephone-Guards, which are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawlngs, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a means for preventing the use of telephones by unauthorized persons, except upon the payment by deposit in the coin-box which pertains to the invention of a coin representng the fare for such use; and the means by which this purpose is effected consists, primarlly, of a gate or door closing the mouthpiece of the telephone, which can only be unlooked after the proper coin has been deposited, and which will automatically close when the user ceases to hold it open, or, in one form of the invention, when the receiving-trumpet has been restored to the position wherein it 2 5 disconnects the telephone.

The invention is represented as applied to an ordinary Bell telephone having the Blake transmitter, and the method of its use for any telephone can be sufliciently understood from 0 its use in such connection.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevatlon. Fig. 2 is a right-side elevation, show- 1ng a portion of the telephone-frame and Blake transmitter. Fig. 3 is a left-side eleva- 3 5 tion showing the same parts. Fig. 4: is a front elevation with the front plate removed, show- 1ng the interior mechanism with the parts in the position occupied when the door is closed and locked. Fig. 5 isa sectional detail ele- 4o vation, section being made at the line 5 5 on Fig. 4, through the coin-chute, showing a coin in the position in which it will be lodged when deposited. Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the parts in the position to which L they will be moved in opening the door, that movement having proceeded far enough to engage the catch, but not to drop the coin lnto the receptacle. Fig. 7 is a detail front elevation showing the parts in the same position as in Fig. 6, and showing the position of the door at that stage of the movement. Fig. 8 is a front elevation with the front plate removed, and showing the mechanism with the door fully opened, the coin dropped into the box, and the catch returned to its initial position. Fig. 9 is a section at the line 9 9 on Fig. 6. Fig. 10 is a front elevation with the front plate in position, the door open and engaged by the detent latch or catch, as when the telephone is in use. Fig. 11 is a detail front elevation showing the door and the detent-catch, the catch, however, in position disengaged by the pull of the cord attached to the trumpet, so as to allow the door to fall shut, the trumpet shown 6 5 in two positions to effect this purpose-one while it is hung upon the latch of the telephone, and the other when it is allowed to drop freely and operate the detent catch and latch by its weight.

A is the back or the base of the telephone or wall to which it is attached.

B is the usual Blake transmitter annexed to the telephone.

C is the receiving-trumpet; D, the switchlever pertaining to the telephone, having the customary hook D by which the trumpet C is supported when out of use.

E is the back or base plate of the case of our telephone-guard. It is adapted to be ap- 8o plied in front of the Blake transmitter, covering the entire front face thereof, and having an opening E coinciding with the mouth of the transmitter. It is hinged at the righthand edge to two legs or postsF F, which are secured to the back or wall A, and are of such length that the plate E, when hinged to their forward ends, can swing into proper position, as described, over the front of the transmitter. Upon the left-hand edge of the plate E there is a secure lock E by which the plate at that edge is locked to the forward end of the post r F, secured to the back or wall A in the same manner as the posts or legs F. These three Upon the front side of the plate E, at the right-hand edge, there is secured the flat tube G, which constitutes the coin-chute extending vertically along the right-hand edge of the plate and having, toward the upper end in its front side or edge, a coin-slot g,whose dimensions are adapted to admit any selected coin by which the device is intended to be operated. The opening E is adapted to be closed by the door E, which slides in suitable guideways vertically over said opening, closing the opening when at its lowermost position and uncovering it most completely when at its uppermost position. On the lower edge of the sliding door E there is provided the catch nose or hook E. To the plate E there is pivoted the horizontal lever H on avertical pivot, so that it is adapted to oscillate horizontally toward and from the plate a short distance.

The end H of this lever constitutes a catchbolt to engage the catch-nose E such engagement being eifected when the said end H stands nearest to the plate E, and disengaged when it stands forward away from the plate. The upper edge of the end H is beveled, so that the nose will readily force it out to pass it and become engaged under it as the door closes downward. The opposite end H of the lever protrudes across the coin-chute at the lower end thereof when in itsnormal position that is, in the position in which it stands when engaging the catch-nose E a spring 7L being provided tending to hold it in that position. The end H has the bevel H on its upper edge at the point Where it extends through the coinchute, for a purpose which will hereinafter appear. To the plate E there is also pivoted the lever J, which is substantially a bell-crank lever in form, pivoted at the angle, having one arm J provided with a cam-slot J ,which engages a stud e on the back side of the door E near the edge toward the pivot of the lever, so that as the'dooris reciprocated up and down in its slide-bearings the lever is rocked over its pivot by the stud traversing the slot It will be understood that the lever reciprocates overz'. 6., in front ofthe guide-bearings e of the door E and that the flanges E on the door, which engage the slide-bearings, are cut away sufficiently to permit the lever to perform its movement, as described. The other arm J 2 of the leverJ protrudes through the proximate side wall of the coin-chute and in the position in which thelever stands when the door is closed does not protrude into the coin-passage of the chute far enough to obstruct the passage of the coin therethrough; but by the raising of the door rocking the lever on its pivot the end of the arm J is protruded into the coin-passage of the chute a short distance. The protruding end of the arm J 2 is cut off obliquely, so that when thus protruded it stands aslant across the coinpassage. the lever-arm J when that lever is in theposition to which it is moved by opening the door, and the beveled edge of the arm H of The distance between the ondj of the lever H when it is in the position occupied while the door is locked by the catchbolt, is less than sufficient to accommodate the coin by which the device is designed to be operated and which can pass through the chute. The operation of the device is therefore designed to be that a coin having been dropped into the chute and lodged upon the upper side of the arm H of the lever H if the lever J be rocked to cause its arm J 2 to protrude into the slot, the oblique end 9' of said arm will impinge upon the upper edge of the coin, and by means of the coin thus engaged between said lever J and lever H the lever H will be forced aside, the round under edge of the coin operating against the beveled edge H of said lever H and rocking said lever on its pivot, disengaging the end of said lever which constitutes the catch-bolt from the catch-nose E and upon further movement of said lever J in the same direction the coin will be forced past the lever H and fall into the receptacle or coin-box K, which is provided beneath the coin-chute. In order that the lever may be thus actuated by the door sufliciently to cause it to push the coin against the end H of the lever H before the door is itself unlocked by the disengagement of the catch-bolt H from the catchnose,-the bottom stop E for the door on the plate E is located low enough to permit the nose after passing by the catch-bolt H to move a short distance before the door reaches the stop, whereby the door is rendered capable of so much upward movement before the.

nose encounters the catch-bolt H. This short upward movement or play of the door is sufficient to cause the arm J 2 of the lever J to protrude sufficiently through the coin-chute toactuate the coin and through it the lever H just enough to disengage the catch-bolt that is, to carry it out of the path of the catchnose, so that the latter may pass by it and the door continue on its upward openingmove.

ment.

The entire mechanism hereinabove described, except the door itself or. such portion thereof as closes the mouth-piece opening of the transmitter, is concealed from view and protected from access by the front cap or case L, which also constitutes the front, bottom, and right and left sides of the coin-receptacle, of which the back is formed by the plate E. This cap or case L has, of necessity, the mouth-piece opening Z, corresponding in position to the opening E for the plate E, and is provided with a short funnel L, which projects back from the margin of said opening Z, and terminates close to the front surface of the door E and so guards the mechanism from any access through said opening Z. This cap is secured to the door E by suitable bolts or screws entered from the back side of said plate and not accessible from the front. The coin-box is also entered by a door E, which is pivoted to the back side of'the plate E, and is therefore inaccessible when the device is locked in place on the telephone. This door may also be provided for additional safety with a safe-lock. (Indicated at c.)

The following is the method of use for which this device is designed: The user having given the customary signal for connection of the telephone with the exchange, and having then taken the trumpet in hand, or before having given the signal or taken the trumpet, will drop a coin of the denomination suitable to operate the device through the coin-slot, which will thereupon lodge upon the beveled edge h2 of the arm H of the lever II. The user will now be able by lifting the door E to get access to the transmitter and use the telephone so long as he holds the door open, or so long as the same is held open by any means. The action of opening the door will have caused the coin which he deposited to drop into the coin-box, and the lever II will have returned to its normal position prepared to become engaged with the catch-nose when the door is again dropped down. \Vhcn the user has therefore completed his use of the instrument and released the door, it will require the use of another coin to allow it to be again opened. A suitable finger-piece E is provided for lifting the door, said finger-piece being fixed at the end of the stem e for which a slot is provided through the cap L and through the funnel L. If it is desired to obviate the necessity for the user holding the door open with one hand throughout his entire use of the instrument, provision may be made for automatically detaining the door open so long as the trumpet is held by the operator. This provision may consist of the following device: The stem e is provided with the finger E and upon the outer surface of the cap L there is pivoted the dog N,

having a beveled nose 01, adapted to be en-.

countered by the finger E as the door is lifted, and to be pushed aside thereby, a spring N being provided adapted to throw the dog N back under the finger after it has passed by it, and so constitute a detent-catch which will hold the door open until it is withdrawn. This dog is in the form of a bell-crank lever, pivoted at the angle, and to the arm N there is attached the cord M, which extends through the eyelet or other similar guide 0, preferably located at the lower left-hand corner of the cap L and is attached to the trumpet O. The length of this cord is such as to permit the trumpet to be hung on the hook in the usual position when the instrument is out of use, but only long enough. to permit the trumpet to be thus hung up when the dog is pulled back out of engagement with the finger E so that when the trumpet is thus restored to its place the dog no longer detains the door E, and it will therefore fall shut. If the trumpet should not be restored to its position on the hook, the weight of the trumpet drawing upon the cord M will have the same effect to pull back the dog and disengage its nose from the finger E and so permit the door to fall shut. Thus in either event, when the user ceases to hold the trumpet, the door will be closed and the deposit of another coin will be necessary to permit it to be opened.

It will be obvious that the connection of the lever J with the door is not a necessity that is, the lever might be independent of the door, andin that event the play which the door has before its catch-nose encounters the catch-bolt, which is provided in order to permit the door to operate the lever J enough to withdraw the catch before being stopped by said bolt, would not be necessary.

e do not limit ourselves to the precise mechanism herein shown, because many obvious modifications may be made without departing from the principle involved.

We claim 1. In combination with a telephone, a gate or door adapted to close the mouth-piece.

thereof, a catch to engage and lock the door in closed position, a coin-chute, a bar controlling said catch and protruding into the coin-chute and obstructing the passage of the coin therethrough, and a second bar also adapted to protrude into the coin-chute at such distance from the first bar that the selected coin may simultaneously contact both said bars and constitute means for transmitting movement from the second to the first, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a telephone, a gate or door adapted to close the mouth-piece thereof, "a catch-bolt to engage and lock the door closed, its engagement with the door being such as to permit a short movement or play of the door, a coin-chute, a bar which operates the catch-bolt and protrudes into the coin-chute to obstruct the passage of the coin therethrough, and a second bar connected to and actuated by the door in the play of the same allowed by the catch-bolt, said second bar adapted to be protruded into the coinchuteby the movement of the door in such play, the distance between said bars where they protrude into the coin-chute being such that a selected coin may simultaneously contact them both, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with a telephone, a gate or door adapted to close the mouth-piece thereof, a coin-controlled lock for such door, a catch to detain the door open, a cord co11- necting such catch to the telephone-trumpet, and a guide for said cord fixed in position out of line with the point of attachment of the cord with the detent-catch and the point of attachment to the telephone-trumpet when the latter is on its support on the telephone, whereby the restoration of the trumpet to its support or its suspension by its cord from the catch will disengage the catch from the door and allow the latter to close, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with the telephone, a case comprising a coin-receptacle and a coinchute leading into it, a door adapted to close theinouth-piece of the telephone and coin- In testimony whereof We have hereunto 1o controlled locking mechanism for such door, set our hands, respectively, in the presence a coin-receptacle having a door leading into of two Witnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this 20th itfrom the back side of the case, and suitday of July, 1889.

able means for locking said ease backztg'ainst SAMUEL M. DOWST.

the face or translnitterof a telephone, Where- FRANK I-I. IIOSMER. by the door into the coin receptacle is ren- Witnesses:

dered inaccessible Withontdetaching the case CHAS. S. BURTON,

from the telephone, substantially as setforth. J EAN ELLIOTT. 

